The Epitome of a visit to Barcelona

I know there are tons of tips posted on visiting the Basilica de la Sagrada Família. I am traveling to Barcelona in October 2015 and this is a definite "must do" for me. I cannot wait to see the amazing architecture of Antoni Gaudí. I will update this tip after my visit. In the meantime, I will post some information to help me plan my trip. Any recommendations are welcomed.

The Basilica is opened from 9am until 6pm, daily.

The Crypt is opened from 9am to 10pm and 6pm to 9pm, Monday through Saturday and 9am to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm on Sunday and holidays.

Ticket prices vary depending on what you would like to do.

Mass is in two languages, Spanish & Catalan.

Things to anticipate on your visit:

Bags, luggage, personal belongings will be inspected. Your entrance may be denied if a forbidden object is found in your belongings. You need to check your bags or luggage before entering the Basilica at the luggage office (check room).

There is a dress code, specifics not listed but experience tells me you should make sure yor shoulders are covered (no tank tops or strapless clothing). Knees should be covered sometimes even crop pants are not acceptable (no shorts or short skirts). No flip flops (I'm guessing).

Keep the volume down. Do not speak too loudly.

Visitors under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

There are elevators (lifts) to the towers but the descent is by foot. Towers may be closed due to weather conditions for safety reasons.

Click for historical information.

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Barcelona Cathedral

The gothic Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia was built between the 13th to 15th centuries, with a cloister added mid-15th century. It was named after Santa Eulalia who died a martyr during Roman rule in Barcelona and is buried here. Beside her, the tombs of many bishops and nobles from Barcelona and Catalunya can be found here. Another remarkable feature of the cathdral are the choir stalls, decorated with the coat-of-arms of the knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece, who played a prominent role during late medieval times.

In a chapel, a cross from a warship that participated in the seabattle of Lepanto 1571 can be seen. It is said that the corpus moved to avoid a cannonball during the battle, thus convincing the Christian allies that god fought on their side.

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Claustre (Gothic Quarter)

Adiacent to the Barcelona Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia is a cloister (added to the cathedral in 1448). There is a separate entrance to the cloister if you go past the main entrance on the right-hand side. The cloister is a beautiful place with an overgrown courtyard which makes a great contrast to its arched medieval windows. 13 white geese are kept here, dedicated to Santa Eulalia, who was 13 when she was martyred.

Barcelona Cathedral (La Seu)

Barcelona Cathedral (no, it is not La Sagrada Familia...) is located in the center of Barcelona, on a spot where there has been a church since at least the 4th century. The oldest part of the current cathedral is originally from the late 13th century, but it has been extended and rebuilt several times during the years.

The cathedral is quite huge; 93 meters long and 40 meters wide, the bell towers is 50 meters tall, and the central spire reaches a height of 70 meters. Inside is a wide nave, numerous side chapels, stained-glass windows, and the crypt contains the sarcophagus of Santa Eulalia. She is Barcelona's patron saint, and the official name of the cathedral is also Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia (or Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia).

Other highlights are the cloister (and the 13 geese in the courtyard ) from the 14th century, and the roof of the cathedral. There is access to the roof via a lift, and from the top are great views of Barcelona and the towers.

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The inner yard of the Cathedral

Through a southern gate of the Cathedral it is possible to leave in a wonderful internal court yard of the cathedral. It is possible to see covered gallery there, a garden with magnolias and palm trees. The fountain is decorated by a statue of sacred Jordi. The cathedral has a secluded Gothic cloister where 13 white geese are kept, the number explained by the assertion that Eulalia was 13 when she was martyred.White geese live here from immemorial times. It is considered, that they protect rest of the solvent townspeople buried near to the Cathedral.

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The gothic cathedral

Barcelona's gothic cathedral (La Seu) has a history dating back to early 14th century. You can find 28 chapels in the cathedral. The cloister with the geese and the fountain is also very interesting. You can also go up with the lift to the roof to enjoy the city view and the details of the towers. The fee for the lift is 2.5 Euro per person.

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Cathedral of Holy Cross-Santa Eulalia

This is the big and main cathedral in the city. It harkens many locals and tourists alike. It covers a city block and is just behind the Juame Plaza area. The completion was in 1450, after about 150 years of construction. The outside has elaborate decoration and frosting with the main doors ribbed of stone facade. Saint Eulalia was a virgin martyr of the city that sacrificed her life of the church during Roman era. Inside is ornate and gold glitter all around. Note the times are usually 10-5 daily, but on Sunday, after 1PM and then the entry fee is 5 Euro. Other days it is free.

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La Seu Cathedral - Interior

The inside of the Cathedral features many wonderful stained glass, arched ceilings, carvings, paintings, sculptures.A basillica was on site as early as the 4th century. The 13th Century Capella Santa Llucia is part of the cloister.

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La Seu Cathedral - Exterior

There should be a law where tourists must provide the entire name of the Cathedral "Cathedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia" before allowed to leave. Located in Barri Gotic, it has been a work in process since 985, with Gothic facade finished in 1889 based upon original plans from 1408. Who can keep this stuff straight? There is a rather steep charge to enter the Cathedral, which we didn't do the first time we visited around 2004. In front of the Cathedral is a large open area where there is room for open air markets.

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Santa Eulalia/La Seu Cathedral

Santa Eulalia/La Seu Cathedral in the center of the Barri Gotic district, downtown Barcelona has a few items unique to it. One we found in the two guide books (other than Virtual Tourist) we used, Lonely Planet and DK, the statue of Saint George battling the dragon. It was mentioned in both and we looked for it in the cathedral and only came across it by chance. This was our fault since we were looking for a big impressive thing...turns out it is only about 50 centimeters high and sits on top of a small water fountain as you can see in the photo.The other unique thing we found here was the gaggle of geese. No they do not make foie gras or golden eggs, they just "are". After we saw them I looked it up and apparently there are no known facts, but several theories/legends about the virginity of Saint Eulalia or Rome, no not the virginity of Rome, the greatness.

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La Seu/Santa Eulalia cathedral, confusing

We wanted to visit the La Seu Cathedral in Barcelona's Barri Gotic district, but kept seeing and finding Cathedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia...turns out they are one and the same.Cathedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia, is the correct name, which means Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, while La Seu is the seat of the diocese. So we go from there.While this is not even close to being the most impressive, expensive or beautiful cathedral we have seen on our wanderings around Europe, I do believe it is one of the earliest, dating back to 300 A.D. One differing point that we found here was two caskets apparently containing a count and his wife, mounted on the wall of the cathedral, yes ON THE WALL, not in the ground or in a vault, but put up like a photograph on the wall.

The website listed here on VT is only in Spanish, so if you want to see and learn more in English, try -http://w3.bcn.cat/turisme/0,4022,495525130_805342490_3,00.htmlhttp://www.aviewoncities.com/barcelona/barcelonacathedral.htmhttp://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/barcelona-cathedral-la-seu

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Cathedral of Santa Eulalia - La Seu

Barcelona’s Romanesque Cathedral is the centre of Barcelona’s oldest part, the Barri Gòtic. It is the third building on this place, the first one being from the 6th century. Construction of the present cathedral began in 1298, using some parts of the previous building like the Portal de San Ivo. Construction was completed in the 16th century, although several restorations and renovations took place in the following centuries. Until the 19th century, it has an almost full Romanesque appearance, but by then a new Neogothic façade was added.Inside the Cathedral, you will find several interesting details, including the Chapel of the Golden Fleece. The Chapel of Christ Levanto has a cross made of the wood from a ship participating in a battle.

Cathedral of St. Eulalia

The Cathedral was constructed from the year of 1298 till 1890. First church here stood even earlier, so temple still has some parts of Romanesque style. The last reconstructions took place in the end of 19th century, in neo – Gothic style, so church mainly consist of Gothic style features.

Cathedral is breathtaking inside, having more than 20 chapels, also inner yard with the pond and 13 geese, that attracts lot of tourists. Temple is also is a burial place of patron of Barcelona St. Eulalia.

If you are in Barcelona for a longer time create oportunity visit it for free. The schedule nearby doors shows when you have to pay for entrance, and when it is free. Place nearby cathedral is usually full of tourists, the street musician shows and flea market go on.